KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo – A military court in Kinshasa has convicted former President Joseph Kabila on charges of treason, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, sentencing him to death in absentia on September 30, 2025.
The court also ordered the immediate arrest of the former leader and directed him to pay $33 billion in damages. The verdict concludes a trial that began in July, which centered on allegations that Kabila conspired with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group in a plot to overthrow the government of his successor, President Félix Tshisekedi.
Prosecutors argued that Kabila used his political networks to provide funding and hold meetings to support the rebels. The long-running conflict in eastern DRC, involving the M23, has displaced millions of people.
The trial also resulted in death sentences for more than 20 co-defendants, who are members of Kabila’s People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD).
The sentencing of a former head of state marks a dramatic and severe escalation in the country’s protracted political and security crisis.
